Officers should ensure on-spot solution of problems by visiting the field – Chief Minister Sai
15-day special campaign: Repair of hand pumps and public taps
Raipur, March 24, 2025: Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai said that it is our primary responsibility to provide uninterrupted and safe drinking water to every citizen of the state during summer. For this, coordination and public participation between all departments is essential. He stressed that concrete and decisive steps need to be taken towards water conservation to deal with the water crisis, so that the state can remain safe from any situation of water crisis in the future. Chief Minister Sai was addressing the high-level review meeting of the Public Health Engineering and Water Resources Department organized at the Ministry. Chief Minister Sai directed the officials to implement all necessary measures on priority to ensure proper and continuous availability of drinking water across the state during the summer season. Keeping in mind the summer conditions, Chief Minister Sai has declared the availability of drinking water across the state as the top priority of the state government. He gave clear instructions to the concerned officials that any possibility of water crisis should be taken seriously and prompt and coordinated action should be ensured. The Chief Minister directed the Rural Development, Urban Administration, Energy, Forest and Agriculture departments to work in coordination in this direction.
He said that short-term and long-term strategies are equally necessary to solve the drinking water problems arising in the state. For this, he emphasized on rapidly promoting effective water conservation measures like recharge pits, rain water harvesting and solar energy based pumps. Also, he directed to keep a strict vigil on uncontrolled exploitation of groundwater and encourage the cultivation of low water-consuming crops, so that balanced use of water resources can be ensured. Chief Minister Sai directed the officials that they should not limit themselves to offices, but go to the field and assess the situation themselves and ensure quick solution of drinking water related problems on the spot.
The Chief Minister directed that within the next 15 days, a special campaign should be run across the state to ensure the repair of all hand pumps and public taps. He said that at many places hand pumps have only minor technical problems, which if repaired by local mechanics in time, can save citizens from unnecessary trouble. During the meeting, it was informed that the state government has made special arrangements for mobile van units across the state for quick execution of this work, which will remain active in the field for the next four months and carry out maintenance and repair work on priority. Chief Minister Sai said that it is the primary responsibility of the state government to ensure continuous availability of clean drinking water in both the mountainous and plain areas of the state. He told the officials that for this, water conservation measures should be promoted in accordance with the local geo-natural conditions, so that long-term solutions can be ensured. He also gave clear instructions to ensure availability of water for wild animals in the summer season. The Chief Minister also directed that Amrit Sarovars across the state should be developed as models of water management, so that they can become successful examples of water storage, rainwater conservation and community participation. Emphasizing the need to remove encroachments around ponds and reservoirs on priority, he said that protecting water sources is not only an administrative responsibility but also a collective social responsibility.
Chief Minister Sai directed to implement the process of operation and maintenance of solar energy based drinking water schemes at a fast pace. He said that with the effective implementation of these schemes, wastage of water sources can be controlled and energy saving is also ensured. The Chief Minister especially emphasized that ‘sensor based automatic system’ should be implemented in solar drinking water schemes, so that monitoring and control of water distribution can be technically possible and the state should take an important step forward towards smart water management system. Describing the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions as very important in the field of water conservation, the Chief Minister said that public awareness and participation at the village level is the long-term solution to the water crisis. He directed that extensive discussion should be ensured on water conservation, groundwater management and disposal water schemes in the Gram Sabhas, so that concrete initiatives can be taken at the community level. The Chief Minister specifically directed the Panchayat and Rural Development Department to ensure planned implementation of these activities and active participation of the Gram Panchayats. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw, Vijay Sharma, Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Subodh Singh, Principal Secretary of Panchayat and Rural Development Department Mrs. Niharika Barik, Secretary of Public Health Engineering Department Mohammad Qaiser Abdul Haq, Secretary of Water Resources Department Rajesh Sukumar Toppo and officers of Agriculture, Forest, Climate Change and Energy Departments were present in this high-level meeting.